Special Women's History Month Feature

In 1970, the professional landscape for women looked very different than it does today. Only about 30 percent of adults in the workforce were women, and in many fields their opportunities were limited. Leadership positions for women were rare, but inside the classrooms at Montini Catholic High School, the message to young women was different. They were encouraged not only to consider traditional careers such as teaching or nursing, but to imagine the many ways their God-given gifts could make a difference in the world. This helped shape a generation of alumnae who quietly pushed past expectations and built long, influential careers.

The career paths of Janice (Baldasar) Morgando ’70, Joan (Beverley) Izzo ’71, Debra (Tauscher) Goff ’75, and Dr. Janis Orlowski ’74 are very different, but their stories share a common thread: a strong sense of values and a commitment to ensuring that others are supported along the way. These trailblazers helped normalize women in professional roles, creating pathways for the Montini graduates who followed them.

Choosing a Career Path
For many of these alumnae, graduation from Montini did not come with a fully mapped-out career plan. But it did come with the expectation that they would build a future.

Dr. Janis Orlowski ’74 entered college intending to pursue medicine, but she approached her education strategically. She chose to major in biomedical engineering, ensuring she would graduate with practical, employable skills if her plans changed. Joan Izzo ’71 faced a different reality. The sixth of twelve children, she knew that entering the workforce quickly would be important. She began responding to classified job postings and networking immediately after graduation. “I decided I would go to college when I knew what I wanted to be,” she explained.

Through several early positions she learned new skills before ultimately finding the right fit in an office management role in the traffic control industry, working alongside fellow Montini alumni, Jim Van De Velde ‘70, and helping support growing organizations.

Others had interests but not yet a clear destination. Debbie Goff ’75 discovered her interest in pharmacy through an after-school job at a local drugstore.

Janice Morgando ’70 simply knew she wanted something different from the paths many women were expected to follow. “I knew I wasn’t going to be a nurse or a teacher,” Morgando recalls. “But I never would have guessed I would spend my career in the medical laboratory business.” What they shared was a willingness to begin somewhere and grow from there. That first opportunity, often entry-level, became the starting point for careers that would span decades.

Finding Their Voice
For many women entering the workforce in the 1970s, professional environments were still dominated by men. Advancement often required persistence and, sometimes, the courage to challenge expectations. Janice Morgando experienced this firsthand early in her career. Working for MetPath—later known as Quest Diagnostics—she helped establish a new operation in St. Louis, flying weekly from Chicago to help build the office. She remembers being the only woman on the plane and the curious looks from fellow business travelers. When the time came to appoint a permanent operations manager in St. Louis, the role was initially offered to a younger male employee.

Rather than accepting the decision, Morgando advocated for herself. She pushed for the opportunity to interview for the position she had helped build and ultimately earned the role.

Joan Izzo also recognized inequities in the workplace early in her career. Working in industries where women were underrepresented, she became a voice for ensuring that women were treated with dignity and respect. She recalls identifying situations that today would clearly be recognized as harassment or unequal treatment and bringing those concerns forward to leadership—actions that helped create safer and more respectful workplaces. Both women credit the values instilled during their education with helping them navigate these moments.

Dr. Orlowski reflects on how foundational those values have been throughout her career. “When I mentor people, I am often surprised by how little they have wrestled with their values,” she says. “Maybe that comes from being raised in Catholic schools—but I knew from the beginning what I valued, and that has been critical to my success as both an administrator and a patient advocate.”

Success Measured by Impact
Hard work and dedication led these women to leadership opportunities and professional recognition. Yet when they speak about their accomplishments, the focus rarely centers on titles or promotions. Instead, they talk about the people they helped along the way.

For Janice Morgando, one of the most meaningful parts of her career was mentoring employees. As a senior leader responsible for hundreds of staff members, she went beyond traditional management duties by organizing sessions to help employees understand and take advantage of their company benefits. Those conversations made a lasting difference. One employee later told Morgando that following her advice to invest in the company’s retirement program helped her purchase her first home.

Joan Izzo found similar fulfillment in sharing knowledge and helping others succeed. She is most proud of being able to teach employees how to utilize all of the tools at their disposal to get the data and information they needed to do their jobs well, empowering them with the tools and confidence to succeed.

For Debbie Goff, that same commitment to empowering others extended beyond a single workplace. Goff became a leader in antimicrobial stewardship (AMS)—an effort to ensure antibiotics are prescribed appropriately and to combat the growing global crisis of antibiotic resistance. She became known for developing “train-the-trainer” models that help healthcare professionals share expertise and strengthen entire systems of care.

Through training programs in countries such as South Africa and beyond, Goff has helped pharmacists and healthcare teams expand their knowledge and take a more active role in patient care. “In most countries there simply aren’t enough pharmacists, physicians, or nurses,” she explains. “So you have to take the existing workforce and scale up their knowledge.”

The Role of Family
Behind these professional achievements were strong support systems at home. Family, spouses, and mentors helped make it possible for these women to pursue ambitious careers while remaining grounded in their values.

Dr. Orlowski credits her family and teachers with instilling confidence early on. “They made me feel that I could do anything,” she says. For Janice Morgando, the partnership with her husband became a priority and helped guide the choices she made throughout her career. For Joan Izzo, partnership was key. She and her husband, Jim Izzo ’71, worked together to balance family life and career responsibilities. Their shared commitment to supporting one another allowed Joan to continue growing professionally while maintaining a strong and stable home for their family.

Debbie Goff also demonstrated that career paths do not have to follow a single model. She fought for the opportunity to work part-time so she could spend more time with her children while continuing to make significant contributions to her field. Her example showed that flexibility in how we approach work does not diminish the value or impact of that work. In different ways, each of these women demonstrated that professional success and strong family commitments can coexist—a lesson that continues to resonate for working families today.

A Shared Legacy
Despite the different industries they entered—medicine, healthcare operations, business administration, and global health—the stories of these alumnae share common themes. They pursued opportunities even when the path forward was uncertain. They remained grounded in strong values. And they consistently used their experience to support the people around them. Their success reflects the lessons they carried from their Montini education: integrity, perseverance, curiosity, and a commitment to service and community.